


Illusions Of Someday

by tinasnewt



Series: Ghosts Of the Past [1]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Animagus, Badass Tina, Battle, Dark Queenie, F/M, FBAWTFT, Fantastic Beasts, Lots of dragons - Freeform, M/M, Parallels, newtina, tina is so badass in this I love it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-02
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-06-20 19:01:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15540888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinasnewt/pseuds/tinasnewt
Summary: Grindelwald has returned, and the nightmare has become reality. Newt, Leta, Theseus, and Tina all face off Grindelwald in one epic battle of wits and woe. Dragons, betrayal, and heartbreak all pursue each other until the end.





	Illusions Of Someday

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you SO MUCH to Fara for inspiring me to write a fic that mirrored the “I’ll catch you” scene, even though this one hardly does. I’ve never been prouder or had more fun writing something. I hope you enjoy! Please remember to leave a comment, they fuel my craving for validation :) Special thanks to tomhottland for betaing this for me!

    It was as if all of their darkest nightmares had come to life. One moment, Newt, Theseus, Leta, Tina, and Jacob were in a grand ballroom, Grindelwald telling a speech about how Dumbledore would betray one of his former students with no remorse for personal gain. Rosier was by his side, and an empty looking Queenie stood behind him. He'd locked eyes with Newt, cocked his head to the left, and asked him, "Do you think Dumbledore will mourn for you?" Before Newt could react, Grindelwald flicked his wand and a fiery blue light in the shape of a dragon appeared, and the five were forced to duck for cover. A great roar vibrated the room, and it shook violently, a hissing sound spreading as fire began to radiate around the room. Nobody knew how it had started, but Newt had already realized that his theory was true. There was no spell that could conjure such a creature. A creature like this shouldn't even exist. It was like a dragon, glowing and roaring, flying around the room, but the fire it was made of made it an impossible creature. Knowing that made the conflict an infinite amount of times harder to beat,  and just as horrifying as he knew it'd be. This was why Dumbledore couldn't move against Grindelwald. Dumbledore had horribly overestimated Newt's abilities, and for that, it would cost Newt his life. Newt glanced over his shoulder and locked eyes with Tina. The horror in her eyes proved to him that she knew too.

    Grindelwald was an animagus.

    How they hadn't figured it out sooner was baffling; his escape, how he was able to overpower dozens of aurors with a single blow, why Dumbledore wasn't able to fight him. Every piece of information finally connected. Grindelwald was the puzzle- Newt and Tina were just the players. And he'd beaten them. They'd put the pieces together too late, they hadn't found enough proof that it was true in the short amount of time they'd had. And now they were paying for it. Newt turned back to face the creature, and in the corner of his eye he saw Jacob bolt the other way. Jacob. He'd forgotten about the muggle, powerless against a wizard, hopeless against a dragon. Especially one that had Queenie in his grasp. Theseus and Leta had already run off, casting spells in the direction of the beast as they ran in front of and behind pillars, trying to catch Grindelwald off guard. Rosier had apparated away, leaving Queenie, who still stood firmly on the ground. Her face was blank, emotionless against the battle that was happening before her. She was still in her trance, and Newt and Tina both knew that the moment Grindelwald had them distracted, he'd use her against them. More than he already had.

    It was funny, really, how Grindelwald had been able to use Queenie as his spy for the last four months. He'd tricked her into thinking he was able to bring her and Jacob together and then, once she truly believed him, cast the imperius curse on her and cursed her to be under his control. His wish was her command. Earlier, Grindelwald had used her as bait to lead the group into the ballroom. They'd received an anonymous letter that stated she was there. It was Rosier who had formatted it. There they were, trailing through the room, luminosity spells cast at the tips of their wand, when out of the blue they were all thrown back against the wall when a mighty crash sent chunks of brick and rock bursting through the air. Grindelwald revealed himself the moment they had all settled, believing they were safe and had finally rescued Queenie. He'd somehow cast himself inside a magical bubble that deflected every spell that was cast at him, causing Tina to be stunned for a moment and Theseus' nose to begin spouting blood due to a nosebleed inducing hex. Grindelwald began speaking then, talking about how wizards should rule how muggles lived, not the other way around. Newt and Theseus stood poised on a staircase, watching him with scrutiny, ready to attack lest they had to. Jacob stood behind everyone as Grindelwald spoke, though the wizard had already known of his presence. That's when the real issue began.

    Newt turned around to face Tina, who was reaching out to him, waving for him to hurry and run. "We've got to find Jacob, Grindelwald will be after him first!" Newt said, catching up with the witch. Tina grabbed his hand and led him behind a tall pillar, blue fire being spread across the room. They could hear the shouts of Leta and Theseus, five pillars away, sending jinxes and curses toward the creature. Tina turned violently to face him, a wild look on her face. Fear and adrenaline were fueling her, and Newt knew there was no stopping her now that she was in this state. "We must go after Jacob, he won't be able to fight Grindelwald on his own, and all of the other muggles in the city-"

    "He has my sister, Newt!" Tina exclaimed, her face contorted in fear and sorrow. daring to look behind the pillar for just a moment, she desperately tried to locate Queenie. Her hand was turning a ghostly white because of the grip she had on her wand. "He has Queenie, he has her. He tricked me for months, he used her to get all the information...  I failed... I failed, I promised her I would always protect her, and I couldn't, I couldn't protect her Newt, I failed her, she's going to die because of me," Tina said, panic growing in her voice. Newt looked at her sadly. He had never seen, or even imagined Tina could be in such a state. She was utterly defeated. Tina was hyperventilating, constantly looking behind the pillar but too distressed to cast a spell in the growing figure's direction. Newt could hardly bear watching it. When the worst of her panic was over, she sank down to his knees, keeping her body positioned in a way so that if the dragon hit it she wouldn't be seriously injured. Tina sniffled. "This is why we'd never work out together," she said, picking at the lace of her shoe, chuckling a bit. It was quite a disturbing picture, a woman sobbing over her sister and suddenly laughing.

    Newt turned his head to look at her, his face contorted in confusion. "How do you mean?" He never understood how women worked. Was she implying something? Tina was a very outspoken woman, she never kept things hidden. He didn't understand why she would make such a proclamation at a time like this, though, when a dragon was on the loose and could break free at any moment.

    Tina glared at him through watery eyes. "I'm sure you're well aware of what I mean." At his look, she provided him a more thorough explanation. "I heard you and Leta talking about me the other day. You made your intentions with me quite clear to her, though I can't be angry at you for that. I understand why you..." Tina thought for a moment, trying to think of the perfect word to convey how she felt. "I understand why you decided not to keep in touch with me these last few months. It doesn't omit how I felt during that period of silence, but I get it now. You thought I would be like her." She sighed, watching blue reflect on the wall in front of her. Both Newt and Tina knew they ought to be fighting Grindelwald with the rest of the group, but they needed this moment. Together. "I say we wouldn't work together because... look at us," Tina said, motioning in between them. "There's a dark wizard on the loose, threatening thousands of lives, and I've got you cooped up in a corner with me. And... I'm a horrible person for saying this, but I couldn't care less about the thousands of No-Majs that are in danger right now. If it meant my sister was safe... I'd let Grindelwald take them."

    Newt was absolutely appalled at Tina's admission. What she said nearly mirrored Grindelwald's beliefs, and if he didn't know any better he would've thought she'd joined him. He understood her completely, though. He would feel the same if she had taken Queenie's place. Helpless and alone, being controlled by someone whose power was ten times stronger than her own? He would've gone mad trying to save her. That's why he swore to himself he would never hold these words against her. He thought for a very long time, and Tina grew worried. What if he thought she would join Grindelwald? "I didn't mean that I'd join him, if that's what you're thinking," she said quietly, her fingers, covered in black because of the dust, passing a rock back and forth.

    Newt looked at her then, his expression softer than before. "I understand. If I were you and you were Queenie, I'd feel the same wa-"

    His sentence was cut off by a jet of white light crashing into the pillar next to them, exploding it into an accumulation of dust and debris that clouded the air surrounding them. It was as if a switch was flipped, Tina's reaction. She stood up immediately, her hand held out to Newt. Tina began hastily wiping off her jacket. "We've wasted too much time, we've got to hurry," She said, helping Newt hoist himself up. They ran together, dodging spells left and right. Newt found it quite reminiscent of their time at MACUSA, when they were escaping Percival Graves (technically Grindelwald). Small chunks of rock flew at them as parts of the building disintegrated with the force of the spells that hit them, and a growing smell of smoke began as the room became a lustrous blue. It was like an inferno, the heat from the fires the dragon had conjured began to blaze around the room like gusts of wind from a tornado. Newt and Tina stopped at a grand staircase and found Leta and Theseus on the bottom few steps casting spells at the growing figure. Newt and Tina joined them, and, due to her auror instincts, Tina knew exactly where everyone was to be positioned to help overpower the impossible creature. She ordered them around while still throwing jinxes at it, and as it sent an impossibly large gust of fire at it, they all yelled the "Aguamenti!" charm to protect themselves from being incinerated. The creature itself seemed to be made of fire. Behind it trailed long gusts of blue that appeared to be water, but once you got near it turned out to be the hottest of fires. It's face was quite dragon-like, though, and when it roared you could hear it for miles. It truly was the greatest weapon of all time. The quartet moved fiercely, their arms jerking up and down as they changed the directions of their spells with the movements of the creature, who only seemed to grow stronger. Mid spell, Tina saw a flash of brown dart past her in the corner of her eye. Was it Queenie? It could be, she was wearing brown with red undertones when she'd been found. Tina knew that if her sister bolted, she'd be in immediate danger. She understood what she had to do. If she abandoned her post, there was a greater risk of being defeated, if she didn't, she could lose her sister. Just as she was deciding, the creature noticed something, and changed course. Tina whipped her head around, and her face contorted with anger. There, in the middle of the room, stood Jacob, helpless and on the ground. It seemed she was the only one who'd spotted him, everyone else was more focused on where it was going. Suddenly she was running as fast as she could, ignoring the shouts and cries that came from her only friends behind her. Adrenaline fueled her, and the world seemed to speed up to match the pace she was running at. She finally reached Jacob and pushed him to the side. Tina didn't even take a moment to think of why he had done this, that time would come later. The rate of which spells flew out of her wand was to be unmatched by any wizard. Without uttering the titles, stunning spells, fire-making spells, and water charms flew out of her wand like the thunderbird had out of Newt's case. The spells didn't stop, and while they still fought, the group behind her watched in awe as she weakened the figure. Tina allowed the spells shooting from her wand to lesson, and Theseus took his chance and ran toward Tina, starting to shout in her ear.

    "You've weakened him enough, Newt, Leta, and I can hold Grindelwald off. You need to take the muggle somewhere safe!" Tina allowed herself to end the flow of spells sprouting from her wand, and turned to face the older Scamander brother. He had a point; Jacob was powerless, he couldn't defend himself against a powerful beast such as this. She didn't understand why she was in charge of transporting him, since it was quite clear she was the most powerful person in the room... besides Grindelwald. Despite the knowledge that she really was needed, Tina took ahold of Jacob's arm and disapparated, leaving only a puff of dust in her wake. When they arrived in the street facing Jacob's hostel. Tina dragged him into a corner. He was in hysterics.

    "Alright," She said, dusting off his jacket as quickly as she could, desperate to get back to the battle scene. "I'll send someone with news once this is all over. You need rest, I suggest you head right up to you room and-"

    "Tina."

    "And you get yourself cleaned up, a hot drink, and fall asleep. How does that sound?" She asked, giving him the expression a preschool teacher would give an noncompliant toddler. He simply shook his head, his face red and splotchy. Jacob didn't budge.

    "'Is my fault," he choked out, not meeting her eye. Tina furrowed her brow and shook her head, but before she could speak Jacob interrupted her. "If I had never... visited Queenie, she wouldn't have joined 'indelwald, never have felt the need to take away the restrictive laws, if on'y I hadn't remembered her..." He was unable to form any sentences after that, hysteria taking over him. Tina simply didn't know what to do. She knew she ought to leave and rejoin the group of magicians battling Grindelwald, but she had to be assured Jacob was safe. She just looked at him, her eyes wide and watery. Jacob shook his head again, burying his face in his hands before facing the older Goldstein sister once more. ""T's all my fault, that's why I... why I ran for him. He was gonna overpower you guys, I could tell, so I had to distract him. If it meant sacrificing myself... I believed Queenie would have enough of herself still left inside her to 'ome for me. She didn't, she never came for me!" He dissolved into tears for a fourth time. This night had shattered him, and Tina believed he wouldn't be the only broken person coming out of the events of the night. "It was self sacrifice, I see 'at now... it would've been worth it. Fightin' fire with fire, that's what my grandma used to tell me..."

    Fighting fire with fire. Tina suddenly had a foolish, suicidal idea. She looked at Jacob then, a glint in her eye that could only be described with the word 'mad.' "You're a genius, Jacob, you're a genius!" She said, and he looked at her in confusion. "And I believe you just saved us all." Tina grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him to the front of the building. "Do as I said earlier. I'll visit with Newt once everything is done and over with. Oh my God, you're a genius!" And she was quite possibly insane. Despite Jacob's protests, she ran him up to his room and apparated back to the action as soon as he walked in the door. 

    She landed on the second floor, an exploded pillar behind her, flames gathering all around  the level. Her eyes could just barely spot the three fighting figures, casting jinxes at the creature. It was weak, but it had them cornered. She watched as one in a familiar grey coat trudged up a set of stairs that seemed to crumble with his every step. No, there wasn't enough time for her to be an audience. She turned around and began to dig through the rocks, throwing them carelessly aside.. Newt's case, Newt's case, where was the damned thing? She could recall him throwing it behind a pillar before they ran, but not an exact one. With shaking hands, Tina took out her wand. "Accio, case!" She yelled, and hardly had enough time to open her arms to catch the leatherbound case that flew into her arms with a thud. Her fingers continued to shake as she undid the latches and slipped inside, luckily not being spotted by the great creature, or her sister. Her sister, who still stood frozen, eyes glazed over as she watched over the group of wizards fighting. Tina jumped off the ladder, not minding that she disturbed papers on Newt's desk. One stuck to her shoe as she charged, bursting through the shed door, ignoring the excited caws and chirps that came from Newt's creatures, recognizing their old friend. She located the niffler immediately, and took a deep breath. Tina prayed that her memory was right, and that Newt's tale of acquiring a dragon was not merely a story. The niffler ran toward her, and only he seemed to be able to tell that there was real danger happening outside the exhibition. Tina panted as she spoke, "Where's the dragon?" She said, her eyes searching around the case. It was sunset yet again, though outside the case it was nearing midnight. "Where's the dragon?" Her yelling startled the niffler, and it ran to the left, obviously wanting her to follow it. She did hastily, her eyes narrowed with determination. She was going to find it, and then... what? Her only plans were to release the dragon in the hopes that it would help fight off Grindelwald. She began to run, the case growing hotter and hotter as she delved deeper into it. A loud roar was heard, and she stared in shock at the creature in front of her. It was just as Newt's handbook had described it. A scarlet, snub-snouted face stared back at her, drawing back a snarl that boasted the border of golden spikes around its enormous eyes. Clearly, the Chinese Fireball was not used to strangers. Small tufts of mushroom shaped flames ejected from its nostrils, and Tina willed herself not to step away. "I'm a friend of Newt's," she started. The dragon only stomped its feet a few times in response, narrowing its eyes as smoke billowed from its nose. Her heart rate sped up, sensing it was urgent she get back to Newt. "I'm Tina," she tried again. She knew bigger animals, like hippogriffs, were more susceptible to like people if they were properly introduced. She supposed it worked, because the dragon let its guard down. "He's in danger, I need you to help me. Please," she begged, and the following events were a blur. It was surreal, even. She was running down the narrow paths in Newt's case, a dragon stomping after her. After she'd climbed out of the case, the dragon bursted out with a deafening roar. It saw Grindelwald's figure and flew after it, its wings fanning hot air into Tina's face, which was pinched together to keep dust from getting into her eyes. She turned her head and saw Newt, who was looking at her in complete awe. Behind her, the two dragons were roaring, stomping, and biting at each other, though Newt's creature was obviously a surprise to Grindelwald. It hissed balls of fire, engulfing even more of the room in flames. It was, quite literally, hell. Tina turned back around, facing Newt again, who was walking toward her. "Tina," he said, an aghast smile on his face. "Tina, you're amaz-"

    He was cut off by the wings of a dragon knocking down an entire section of the floor. 

"NEWT!" Tina screamed, though the cloud of dust was too thick for her to see through. She cast a light spell to see through it, though she laid low in case another wing decided to bash into the area. She could hardly see anything, and she felt as if the air around her was smoldering her. Tina had reached the edge of the floor and could see the jagged lines where it had been cut off, and every step she took new areas of granite cracked and fell to the lower level. Tina scoured the area, yelling Newt's name as loud as she could. However, when she looked down... there he was.

Hanging on as tight as he could, Newt had managed to grab the bottomost edge of the floor, though it was too thick for himself to hoist himself back up. There was no way for Tina to save him if he fell, the only thing she could use to get him now was a broom. A broom... For the second time that night, Tina had an absolutely mad idea. "Newt, you stay right there, don't-" She ducked as the wing of a dragon came toward her head. "Don't let go! Whatever you do, DON'T LET GO!"

Tina watched as the dragons chased each other around the ballroom, crashing into pillars, filling the room with even more flame. She was able to pinpoint Leta and Theseus, who had busied themselves casting water spells to help extinguish the growing flames. Tina held onto the pillar, waiting for just the perfect moment... Now! Tina plucked up all the courage she could, and she jumped. 

She was falling. Her body was in a straight form, but she could feel the drop in her stomach. Tina was ready, she had missed her chance, she was going to fall and it would be all over but suddenly, her body hit something scaly, and she was sliding down, clawing it with her hands for dear life, trying to find something to grab ahold of to keep herself steady. Her hand wrapped around a horn, and she hoisted herself up. Tina felt herself zooming through the air, bouncing up and down on the back of Newt's dragon, searching for him. It seemed it was well aware of her, and suddenly she was diving down and toward the ground. She screamed and clung to the spikes around its face, bracing for impact. However, it steadied itself again, flying at a lower altitude. The other dragon, Grindelwald, roared and flew down besides it, moving gracefully, like a lethifold. Tina saw Newt again, and she urged the creature to circle around the area. She was no animal expert, and she hardly knew anything about dragons, she'd never even seen one before. It was an immense change, this night. "Circle around here!" She yelled, and the creature took a sharp turn, flying away from Newt before twisting around again, heading toward him. "Get close, he'll need to jump."

Only a few seconds after, Newt seemed to realize what Tina was doing. Meanwhile, she was doing all that she could to fire spells at Grindelwald, to keep it from distracting Newt's dragon. All of the sudden, huge chunks of rocks started shooting from the floor, hitting the Grindelwald dragon in the face. It changed its course, charging toward what Tina assumed to be Leta and Theseus. She knew it was a miracle that they did so, and in that action they had saved both her and Newt's lives. "Tina, you can't save me!" Newt yelled, his knuckles white from grasping the broken chunks of granite. "It's too dangerous, I'm not worth it."

Newt watched as the Chinese Fireball circled round and round him, Tina pleading with it not to change course. "You're more than worth it! You have to jump!" Tina yelled, a desperate plea. "Newt, listen to me! I'll catch you." 

Tina's words triggered both of their memories. It brought them back to a similar series of events a little less than a year ago. Tina was in the death cell, liquid rising fast. Newt was pleading with her, begging her, to jump on the swooping evil. She'd hardly done it. They'd both grown so much since then. Tina was no longer afraid, she knew what she had to do and she would do it with the ultimate ambition. The two locked eyes, and the world seemed to slow.Tina reached her hand out to him. "I've got you, Newt," she said, her eyes not leaving his, even as the creature flew away from him again. Tina directed it forward. "I'll catch you!" She yelled, and suddenly her eyes were filled with tears. The dragon was nearing, getting closer and closer, it's bulbous eyes looking at him in fear. The dragon's wing impacted a rock, loosening the grip Newt had on the floor, and then... "GO!" Tina cried out, and Newt let go of the rock. He felt himself fall, and then make impact, straight into Tina's arms. They gazed at each other for a moment before the dragon sped up, lurching both of them forward and grasping its horns. It flew faster and faster, finally reaching its blue counterpart. It had weakened substantially, and Tina was sure only a few more hits would force Grindelwald to return to his natural state. The immediate fear of being knocked off of the dragon subsided as they registered the significance of their actions. Newt seemed to realize that too, and they only exchanged one look before each of them took their wands and began casting stunning spells. Bursts of flame shot out of the dragon's nostrils before it roared, soaring back up into the air, Newt and Tina clinging to it for dear life. It let out a mighty roar, and when Grindelwald tried to follow it, the dragon cast a ring of fire around itself. Grindelwald was trapped for a moment, but suddenly an area cleared and allowed him entrance. Tina could barely muster a "Hold on!" before their dragon turned to the right, dragging the two of them sideways. The area around them grew infinitely hotter, the fire from Grindelwald and their dragon mingling together to create a burning inferno. Newt and Tina ached with the effort of holding their respective body weights up, but neither could let go. Grindelwald roared, and Tina ducked her head in between her arms. "We've got to fight... fire with fire!" She yelled, her voice dipping as the dragon did as well. The wind whipped the two's hair around, and both struggled to gather courage to let go with one hand to begin casting spells. "Or... Stupefy!" A jet of white light shot out of Tina's wand, and suddenly Grindelwald was knocked back, blue flame bursting out of his jaw as he let out a mighty boom. "Incendio! Stupefy!" The two cried, jets of light and fire flying from their wands. After Tina cast a particularly powerful incantation of "Incendio," and a great burst of fire came from Newt's dragon, the two of them had forced Grindelwald to land, the creature's body contorting as it returned him to his human state. He was on his knees, snarling in the direction of the actual dragon. As it landed, Newt sent it off, and with a particularly strong gust of wind, the Chinese Fireball launched itself in the air and returned to its nest in Newt's case. Tina cast the water producing charm, and suddenly every major fire had extinguished themselves, leaving only a few smoldering embers in their wake. Grindelwald, too weak to stand up, simply watched the young witch and wizard work together. However, behind him lay a scene the two had yet to discover. And when they did, all hell would break loose.

As if on cue, a loud shout came from the dark woman. She was calling for Newt and Tina, sobbing as she did so. They sprinted to her, and Grindelwald watched Newt Scamander drop to his knees, and one of the most powerful witches in the world at a loss for words.

Theseus Scamander was dead. 

    Suddenly what felt like a nightmare had become a nightmare. Grindelwald only smirked in their direction, staring at the blank face of the blonde woman who watched them. Her hair was windblown, swaying in the distance. She only stood, watching the people she used to love so dearly. Not one emotion was present on her face. "She did this!" He heard the darker woman say, and he watched as she pointed toward his puppet, who simply stood, not acknowledging the attention that was suddenly put on her. Grindelwald silently gave her a direction, and she followed. "She killed him, I saw the light from her wand when you two were on the dragon. We didn't know what to do, we were busy battling him when she... she jumped on him, like a wild animal, and suddenly he was... he was gone."

    Queenie walked toward the group. The only person who stood as she did, seemingly unbothered, was Porpentina Goldstei- no, her sister. No, her enemy. She stopped in front of the dark haired girl, not feeling anything. Nothing but... hatred. She hated this woman. Why? She didn't know. She didn't understand these thoughts, why she was thinking like this. Suddenly, she drew her wand, pointing it at the woman. Her dark violet eyes flicked over to the man on his knees, who was sobbing. She blinked. "Crucio," she said, flicking her wand carelessly. She enjoyed seeing how he suffered on the ground, how the dark haired woman fled toward him, tears beginning to brim in her eyes. Wait, why did she do that? She knew this man, they were friends. He had introduced her to Jacob.

    "Queenie," the dark haired woman said, her voice strained. "Stop." It was firmer now, as she stood up. Queenie noted how her wand was in her hand, and she was poised to fight. All right then. She prepared herself to cast the stunning spell, but as she lifted her wand her own spell was met by the other woman's. Queenie cursed herself, she should've known she was an auror. Her spells were extremely powerful, but she felt a dullness coming from Porpentina's side. Of course, the sisterly bond. She could hardly see through the mixture of red and white jets of light, but it looked as if the other woman was crying. Pity. It only made her stronger, the other woman's grief. But... why was she fighting her? Why was Tina against her? What was she doing, why was Newt on the ground over Theseus/s body? What had happened to Theseus? What had she done? Her spell weakened, and her wand flew out of her hand, Tina catching it as it flew through the air..

    "Teenie, what's happening? Why are we fighting?" She asked, panic filling her. Tina stepped closer to her, nothing but understanding in her face. She turned to look at a man, and when Queenie faced him... she knew. Her mind began to ache with anger. "You imperiused me?!" She yelled, shunning Tina away, who immediately rushed to Newt's side. "After everything I did for you, was that still not enough? You had to use me as your little pawn?"

    Grindelwald merely chuckled, still too weak to stand. "It was the only way to ensure your true devotion to me, Queenie. Don't you want to see your precious Jacob again?" At that, Queenie's expression softened. "And you know what happens if... well, we made a deal, you see. And if you break it-"

    "No!" Queenie yelled, taking multiple steps toward Grindelwald. "Don' hurt him, he never did anythin' wrong, I am devoted, I am!" She pleaded, wrapping her hands around his wrist. "Please, I'll do whatever it takes to prove it."

    Grindelwald smiled. It was an ugly smile, all yellow and cracked.The years he spent in solitude, and his months in MACUSA's prison were clearly affecting his physical appearance. "Rosier," he yelled, and the raven haired woman appeared from behind a pillar. "Come here and take our guest back home."

    Tina heard those words and looked up, facing her sister, who turned to her with a sad, yet stone cold expression. She knew what it meant. "Queenie," she said, though her voice was barely above a whisper. "You don't have to do this. You don't have to join him."

    "I do," she said, and there was hardly any remorse in her voice. "I want to." Queenie cast a side glance at Grindelwald. "It's the only way things can change. Why should I live in fear because of who I love? Why does someone else get to dictate that?" She asked, gathering courage, knowing she had the strength to finish her sentence, to, once again, defy her sister. Betray. She was betraying her. "I believe that if I fight, and I keep fighting, we shall prosper. We'll finally stand as one, united. Not separated like we were."

    Tina felt a pang in her chest at her sister's words, and she watched as she turned on her heel with Rosier, Grindelwald limping in tow. "Queenie," she started, getting up and walking quickly. "Queenie! QUEENIE!" A snap in the air signified the disapparation of the trio, including Grindelwald. All of this fighting, all of this loss... for nothing. Tina fell to the ground, clutching her chest. She began to hyperventilate, not understanding how this could happen. How her sister could willingly deceived her. How she could kill someone she had once called a friend, all for the acceptance of the darkest wizard that had ever existed. Behind her, Theseus Scamander lay dead, his younger brother shattered. Leta had disapparated moments before, right as Grindelwald had, though Tina knew why she had to leave. And Tina knew, beyond her own grief, Newt was experiencing it in a much more painful, emotional way. Tina mustered up all of the strength she had and stood up, walking toward him. When she reached him, she looked at him with sad, tired eyes, feeling a thousand years older than she had when she woke up. She knelt down beside them, and they wept together, their sorrows not nearly the same but so entirely similar. They wept, allowed themselves this moment together, because they knew, the next morning... a storm was coming. And they had to be ready when it came. It felt like hours they sat on the rocks, the sun rising as Newt did, holding his hand out to Tina. They trudged up the stairs, helping each other over the particularly high gaps, conjuring smalls tufts of rock back together to walk over the immense gap Grindelwald had left in the floor to reach Newt's case. Newt retreated down immediately, and Tina knew better than to disturb him, even though her heart ached to do so. Wand in hand, she disapparated back to Newt's small apartment. She knew she ought to visit Jacob, but she didn't have the strength, nor did she want to see him. Tina formulated a short letter, baring only the most important details, sending an owl off to him. Against her better judgement, she unlatched Newt's case and clambered in, trying not to disturb him. Newt was sitting at his desk, a quill in hand, writing furiously. "Newt..." Tina said, her voice soft. "I'm so sorry."

    "Nevermind what happened," Newt replied, his voice hoarse and teeth clenched. "I must inform my mother of this... defeat." Any hope Tina had shattered, and she walked toward him, looking over his shoulder. She could feel herself breaking, a lump rising in the back of her throat beginning to hurt. She swallowed. "I don't wish to discuss the forthcomings of the night," he spoke again, his voice less harsh.

    "Please," she simply whispered, and Newt immediately understood. He stood up and enveloped her in a hug, and Tina let it all out. The fear, anger, despair... everything she had felt in the late hours of the night came pouring through. She'd had everything she loved ripped away from her, again. "I promised my ma... promised her when she die... when she died, that I'd always protect Queenie, and I couldn't, I didn't," Tina wept, her eyes blurred. "I failed her, Newt. I've lost everything."

    Newt shut his eyes, trying not to let his own grief take over his mind. "You haven't lost everything, Tina," he whispered. "You have me. You will always have me, for as long as I live. Always."

    Tina looked up at him, her eyes rimmed with red. "What if it isn't long enough?"

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you SO SO MUCH for reading! I’m incredibly proud of this, I can’t even begin to explain. Please leave kudos and a comment. You can find me on tumblr at fuckyeahnewtina- I accept ANY prompts. As always, much love.


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